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Funeral For Murdered Saginaw Girl

RICHLAND HILLS (CBSDFW.COM) – Family and friends will pay their respects on Thursday to the little girl who was murdered last week in Saginaw. Investigators are still searching for the killer of 6-year-old Alanna Gallagher after her body was found in the road, wrapped in a tarp, in a residential neighborhood.

The memorial service will start at 11:00 a.m. Thursday at Calvary Lutheran Church in Richland Hills. Mourners will gather to remember the bright young girl whose life was cut short. Loved ones have said that Alanna loved being around people. The community has already been honoring her at a curbside memorial where her body was found, and showing support through purple ribbons placed all throughout Saginaw.

The Saginaw police chief has called this one of the most complicated cases that he has seen in decades. Authorities still do not have any true leads, even a week after Alanna’s violent murder. There have been no suspects named. But police have said that the 6-year-old girl’s family members are all cooperating with the investigation.

Alanna’s biological father spent hours at the Saginaw police station on Tuesday. He co-parented the girl with her mother and stepfather, and they are all desperate for answers. “I know that the odds are high that it’s a family member in this sort of situation,” said father Miles McDaniel. “I can tell you that anyone that knows our family would know better.”

“I want to know who did this,” added McDaniel. “I want justice.”

Investigators seized more than 100 items from the Gallagher home last week including duct tape, belts and restraints. But police maintain that the family members are not believed to be prime suspects in this case.

The search for Alanna’s killer expanded on Wednesday as the FBI placed digital billboards around the DFW area. The billboards mention a reward of $10,000 for information that leads to the killer’s arrest.

In addition to the funeral on Thursday morning, there will also be a candlelight vigil for Alanna at 8:00 p.m. Thursday night at Willow Creek Park.

Anyone with any information in regard to this tragic incident is urged to contact the following tip lines: 682.888.3682 or 682.888.3684.